Guide Uninstalling Vista,from a dual boot device.

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OK...So u got 2 Operating system in dual boot manner....you didnt know that Vista install its' own loader like linux...& now u want to remove vista cause of some reasons..:huh:..this guide is exactly for that purpose.

This shoudnt be a problem for those people who have tried out the LILO or any linux GRUB..
anyway
There are 2 ways u can do it..
1)Improper way.:using BCDEDIT ..you select the xp/2000 as the first priority & set the counter to 0.

2) Proper way.:reset MBR using a XP cd so that BIOS gets back its' priority to boot the devs'.


A Vista loader.

some history about the bootin preference in Vista & XP
Vista uses the EFI booting in contrast to the basic BIOS boot that was found in all the previous Windows platforms.

EFI is the next-generation firmware model, set to replace the legacy BIOS in the coming decade. EFI serves as the interface between hardware platform and the operating system, providing information about the platform that is necessary for the operating system to boot. Although EFI is primarily used to boot the system, there is also some limited run-time support.

UEFI is a technically superior solution to use for boot compared to BIOS. UEFI is well-specified and is a testable interface that will improve system compatibility and reliability. Architecturally, UEFI allows the transition away from real-mode 16-bit code that is common in BIOS. Its agility will improve time to market for platforms and will allow new scenarios to be developed in future release of Windows.

However, because BIOS boot is ingrained into all existing x86 and x64 deployments, Microsoft will continue to support BIOS-based boot for the foreseeable future. If UEFI becomes a well-established standard for booting systems, then Microsoft might consider a gradual transition away from BIOS-based boot support. It is likely that this transition would initially take the form of implementing only some features on UEFI systems.

more here :
EFI and Windows Vista
anyways heres' the procedure..

What tools you need :-
1) a Bootable windows XP CD.
2) your SATA/SCSI drivers (If required...i type if required because ive made my own bootable xp with all my drivers integrated )

DISCLAIMER:I have tried this procedure on my PC where
c:\ had windows XP & d:\ had windows VISTA Beta 2.

Note: There are least chances for any data to get lost during this process..it is adviced to make a backup through Norton ghost or Acronis Products before doing any of these system changes

Steps :

1) Insert the Bootable XP cd & boot into the recovery console.(you have to set the 1st boot device as CD-ROM in BIOS)

As You can see , press R in that welcome screen to enter the windows recovery console.

2) in the recovery console type in
Code: 
fixboot c:

3) next type in
Code: 
fixmbr
& press "Y"

4) Restart the system

more info on recovery console commands
Code: 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
Click to expand...

Now there is no more Vista Loader...:hap2:
few more thing(s) left to do..
boot into XP Operating system

  • 1.Right click on my computer -->properties
  • 2.Advanced-->startup & recovery settings-->
  • 3. Choose the primary XP operating system & set the timeout as 0

thats it done...

Delete any vista files manually from the windows explorer from XP. :cool2:

Hope this has been worth for me typing .. & reps welcome..:D
 
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Click to expand...
WHY did you not post this YESTERDAY !!! :@

Yesterday I removed Vista from a HDD and found that a delete of partition and format would not remove Vista so I ran the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test utility CD and ran "ERASE BOOT SECTOR" this cleaned out Vista and all other data completely - I had to repartition and reformat the HDD.

I prefer the way I removed Vista - I run Acronis True Image and I have complete backups of all my HDDs so nothing gets lost :)
 
ferrar! said:
google is ur friend.
Click to expand...

I am Googles BEST friend .... but all the solutions were like the ones SS's posted above... IMO easiest and cleanest way I found to do it is the way I did do it... erase boot sector have a clean HDD and restore a backup image.... leaves abs no trace of Vista..... I HOPE :)
 
thexfactor said:
This method had been posted here quite a few times already :P ... anyway nice guide super_saiyan :)
Click to expand...

bah..i did search on TE...didnt find any proper instructions...maybe it was my bad keywords..:(

@eazy: i also do keep images of HDD..but i forgot doing one before installing Vista..:(
else even i dould have done that...easiest way..;)
 
1. Boot your computer in to Windows XP.
2. Ensure you have the Vista DVD image emulated or in the DVD drive.
3. Go to “Start†and “Runâ€. Type in “e:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force†(without quotes, and replacing e: with the drive letter of your Vista DVD).
4. Restart the computer, and you will notice the boot selection menu is gone.
5. Format the partition/drive where you had Vista installed.
6. Remove two files (Boot.BAK & Bootsect.BAK) on your XP drive’s root folder (C:), these were backup files of your previous bootloader, now no longer useful.
7. Optional: Restart to ensure it still works.
8. Use your partition software to merge your partitions together.
Click to expand...
thanks @ paraman
this is even easier..:hap2:
someone try this & post back here..:D

EDIT :
about bootsect :

About bootsect

Bootsect.exe is a Boot Sector Restoration Tool. It updates the master boot code for hard disk partitions in order to switch between BOOTMGR and NTLDR. You can use this tool to restore the boot sector on your computer.

Parameters

bootsect {/help|/nt60|/nt52} {SYS|ALL|<DriveLetter>:} [/force]

/help Displays these usage instructions.

/nt52 Applies the master boot code that is compatible with NTLDR to SYS,
ALL, or <DriveLetter>. The operating system installed on SYS, ALL, or
<DriveLetter> must be older than Windows Vista.

/nt60 Applies the master boot code that is compatible with BOOTMGR to SYS,
ALL, or <DriveLetter>. The operating system installed on SYS, ALL, or
<DriveLetter> must be Windows Vista or WindowsServer "Longhorn".

SYS Updates the master boot code on the system partition used to boot
Windows.

ALL Updates the master boot code on all partitions. ALL does not
necessarily update the boot code for each volume. Instead, this
option updates the boot code on volumes that could be used as Windows
boot volumes, which excludes any dynamic volumes that are not
connected with an underlying disk partition. This restriction is
present because boot code must be located at the beginning of a disk
partition.

<DriveLetter> Updates the master boot code on the volume associated with this
drive letter. Boot code will not be updated if either 1)
<DriveLetter> is not associated with a volume or 2) <DriveLetter> is
associated with a volume not connected to an underlying disk
partition.

/force Forcibly dismounts the volume(s) during the boot code update. You
should use this option with caution.

If Bootsect.exe cannot gain exclusive volume access then the file
system may overwrite the boot code before the next reboot.
Bootsect.exe always attempts to lock and dismount the volume before
each update. When /force is specified, a forced dismount is attempted
if the initial lock attempt fails. A lock can fail, for example, if
files on the target volume are currently opened by other programs.

When successful, a forced dismount allows exclusive volume access and
a reliable boot code update even though the initial lock failed. At
the same time, a forced dismount invalidates all open handles to files
on the target volume. This could result in unexpected behavior from
the programs that opened these files. Therefore, you should use this
option with caution.
Click to expand...

So according to bootsect description i can set back the priority to vista booter?

heres' the case..
i install xp to c:
then vista to d:
then another copy of xp to e:
then the Vista Bootloader disappers...
so fixing it back with "bootsect.exe /nt60 ALL /FORCE"
will get me back the option of Vista Boot loader?
 
yes...it'll bring the stuff back.... Bootsect is infact the best way to install the Vista bootloader... The problem with the way super_saiyan mentioned in the guide is that there mayb some of the old components still there...

I will give a scenario where u can have probs with super_saiyan's original method of using the XP CD:

Suppose u have XP installed C: --> Then u installed Vista in D:

Then u used the XP CD to fixmbr and fixboot

Then u format D:

Then when u install Vista again.... u'll see 2 Vista entries there!! One from the earlier Vista install. U have to delete Boot.bak and Bootsect.bak before installing vista again!
 
I was wondering what I could do in my situation.I have a dual-booting system (DellXPS410) that came with Vista home premium pre-installed.I have added Vista Ultimate on a separate hard drive.I would now like to delete the Vista home premium and install XP Pro.I partioned the hard drive but it wouldn't allow me to install XP alongside the Vista home premium.(Blue screen).How can I rid myself of the one Vista and dual boot the Vista ultimate with XP Pro?
 
For other OS
you should be able to do this this by booting into Vista DVD and entering repair utilities during boot and opening up a command window and doing the same thing......

Code: 
"e:\boot\bootsect.exe /nt52 ALL /force" (where e is your dvd drive)
 
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